Athletics Africa Magazine

Ernest Kebeni is this years Nyeri Half Marathon mens champion as Gladys Otero won the womens race. But as the winners celebrate the hard fought victory, the founder who is multiple marathon champion Catherine Ndereba, noted in disappointment the low number of participants this year.

The Local Organising Committee of the 2010 Senior Africa Athletics Championship has been re-launched at a gala ceremony that was attended by top corporate figures, government leaders and leading sportsmen in Nairobi, Kenya. Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who was the chief guest, cautioned the organisers that the success in hosting the championship will serve as the yardstick for Kenya to receive endorsements to bid and stage future top sporting events. “The journey to hosting the Africa Senior Athletics Championship has just begun. It will be no simple task and it requires full commitment and financial support for the country to have a successful championship,” said Odinga. Isaiah Kiplagat, the chairman of LOC, said with only seven months remaining, they were ready to burn the midnight oil to see that they attain their target as they prepare to welcome Africa’s best track and field athletes from all the 54 stages in the five-day event at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasara...

The World Mountain running champion, Geoffrey Kusuro will lead Uganda's assault on the lucrative Obudu Mountain running championship in Nigeria where the winner will walk off with $50,000, Norman Katende reports for the New Vision newspaper . Kusuro won the world mountain running title top prize of $30,000 two months ago in Italy and will be joined by James Kibet, Martin Toroitich and Moses Aliwa in Saturday's race. The race is also an Africa Mountain running championship, where the winner will also walk off with $15,000. ........................................................................................................................................... Monde de Mountain Brose Geoffrey Kusuro entraînera l'agression de l'Ouganda sur le championnat lucrative Obudu Courir en montagne au Nigéria, où le gagnant sera repartez avec de $ 50,000 (sh93m). Kusuro remporté le monde mountain Titre courant premier prix de $ 30,000 (sh60m) il ya deux mois en Italie et sera re...

A lot has been said and written about Caster Semenya's gender issues since the South African teenager won the women's 800m title at the World Athletics Championships in Berlin last summer, but one thing missing in all these media reports is the most obvious of all. Caster was never a cheat, but she had now become a pawn in the dirty game of politics and racial determination in the post-apartheid South Africa. The IAAF also said in a statement that "no further comment will be made on the subject until further notice" as their panel of experts are still studying the results of the sex verification tests Semenya underwent in South Africa and Germany and there are ongoing consultations between the parties concerned. Meanwhile, South Africa's Department of Sport and Recreation has confirmed that Caster Semenya will not be stripped of her title despite the fact she is awaiting the verdict on whether or not she can continue to race as a woman.

Monte-Carlo – The world-wide Athletics family will gather for yet another prestigious celebration when the 2009 World Athletics Gala is held at the Salle des Etoiles of the Sporting Club d’Eté this Sunday 22 November. Hosted by International Athletic Foundation (IAF) Honorary President HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco and IAF & IAAF President Lamine Diack, the World Athletics Gala will be highlighted by the announcements of the Male and the Female World Athlete of the Year 2009, with the awards presented live on stage. Following a fantastic year for track and field and a superb edition of the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Berlin five men and five women are still in contention for the prestigious award. World Athletes of the Year Finalists Men Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopia Usain Bolt, Jamaica Tyson Gay, USA Steven Hooker, Australia Andreas Thorkildsen, Norway Women Yelena Isinbayeva, Russia Sanya Richards, USA Valerie Vili, New Zealand Blanka Vlasic, Croatia Anita Wlodarczyk, P...

World 100 and 200 metres record holder Usain Bolt wrapped up his tour of Kenya with a rare meeting between him and the fastest animal on earth. The Jamaican sprinter was at the Nairobi National Park to boost wildlife conservation by adopting a cheetah, now named Lightning Bolt.

The Jamaican sprint king is a global ambassador for sport for Zeitz Foundation. He arrived in Kenya on Friday for the official launch of the foundation. The foundation was established by sports manufacturing giant, Puma CEO Jochin Zeitz in 2008 and advocates for the sustainable use of environment.

Ernest Obeng, International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)'s head of broadcasting rounded up his visit to the country with a tour of the Kasarani stadium and and gave the Local Organising Committee thumbs-up.

Stephen Mokoka is already eyeing up another Great Run appearance after his brilliant second place at the Bupa Great South Run in Portsmouth on Sunday. Mokoka despite winning the Bupa Great North 10km in July came to the 20th staging of the south coast event relatively unknown even after finishing eighth in the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships a fortnight earlier. But the 23-year-old was quietly confident of his ability and it took a superhuman display from Britain's Mo Farah to snatch the race when winning by just a second in a very fast time of 46 minutes 25 seconds. Mokoka despite missing what would have been the biggest victory of his career was delighted after setting the fastest time ever achieved by a South African athlete over the 10 miles distance. The sports management student from Pretoria admitted he was amazed at the high profile stature of the Bupa Great South Run and his reception from everyone he met during his stay in Pompey. Mokoka is now considering running ...

According to the South African Daily News , The chairman of Parliament's sports portfolio committee, Butana Komphela, has vowed to ensure that Dr Harold Adams, the doctor for the South African team at the world athletics championships in Berlin, is removed as one of President Jacob Zuma's doctors. Komphela made the threat after Athletics South Africa (ASA) appeared before the portfolio committee to explain its handling of the Caster Semenya sex-testing controversy. Adams arranged the initial gender tests on Semenya and later cautioned the athletics body against letting Semenya race after obtaining results of the tests which allegedly showed that the 800m athlete had three times more testosterone than a normal female. Read More

The ANC Caster Semenya Support Task Team, in a press statement released today, has requested an urgent meeting with the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) to express our outrage in the manner in which IAAF has handled the Caster Semenya matter and furthermore, to find an amicable solution to this matter and thus its closure. During the meeting the ANC will advise the IAAF to publicly and unconditionally apologise to Caster Semenya and her family, to the South African President, the honourable Jacob Zuma and the entire nation for the violation of Caster's rights, the humiliation, injustice and pain she continues to suffer. The mishandling of her gender verification processes and its aftermath, also affected the country and indeed, the entire leadership of the country, negatively. The Task Team will also advise the IAAF to declare the gender verification tests results conducted both in South Africa and Berlin null and void. These tests were not conducted in keep...

Boston Champions Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot and Salina Kosgei are late additions to the November 1 ING New York City Marathon. This follows the withdrawal of past ‘Big Apple’ champions; Paul Tergat (men) and Jelena Prokopcuka (women) from the race, according to communication from organisers. Making the announcement, New York Road Runners president and CEO, Mary Wittenberg said, "Like all Boston Marathon winners, Robert and Salina are proven champions. They’ll both be looking to join the elite few who’ve become champions of both races." Cheruiyot, 31, last competed in New York City in 2005, finishing fourth in 2:11:01. A four-time Boston Marathon champion (2003, ‘06-08), Cheruiyot is the Boston course-record holder (2:07:14, his personal best). Continue reading here

According to the Feverpitch Reporter , renowned Kenyan athletics coaches, David Koskei and Gregory Kilonzo, who has coached among others, Olympics 800m champion, Pamela Jelimo, have been banned by the Athletics Kenya (AK) with athletes who train under them no longer eligible to compete. Making the announcement on the sidelines of unveiling the 2009/2010 athletics calendar yesterday, AK chief, Isaiah Kiplagat, also stressed the federation is the custodian of rules governing training camps. "The governing council has decided to close Kiptenden Athletics Club and also removed Kilonzo and Koskei from the roll of coaches. We are wielding the stick and these two are example to others. Continue reading here

Ethiopian marathon runner Tariku Jufar in serious doubt of competing in the IAAF/EDF Energy World Half Marathon in Birmingham next month after a horrific car crash in Ethiopia last week. According to reports, Jufar suffered broken bones and spent many days in the hospital recuperating from surgery to fix a broken shoulder and collarbone after the accident during training in Addis Ababa. The 23-year old, who has a personal best of 2:08.10 in the marathon, had been preparing for a busy month of action in October where he was scheduled to represent his country in the World Half marathon championships in Birmingham, UK and the Frankfurt marathon in Germany.

The Athletics South Africa (ASA) says it's first priority is to ensure that Caster Semenya’s professional career is protected and they are now focusing their efforts and attention on dealing with the questions around her legitimately continuing to participate in athletics. According to a release by MS&L Worldwide on behalf of Athletics SA, "the ASA cannot afford to be drawn into a media campaign to discredit the leadership and administration of the ASA at this time. "In order to focus its attention in the best interests of all its athletes, the ASA is open to the appointment a commission of enquiry into the way in which it conducted its affairs around the Caster Semenya issue. The ASA will request input into the terms of reference of this proposed enquiry. This will allow the ASA to focus its attention where it can make a difference to Caster’s future. As the administrator of athletics in South Africa, the ASA has and continues to operate in the best interests of Sout...

David Rudisha wins again at the IAAF World Athletics Finals in Thessaloniki, Greece.

The World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) Executive Committee will meet on September 19, 2009, for the second time this year at the Agency's headquarters in Montreal, Canada. In the lead-up to this meeting, WADA's President John Fahey will hold a press conference call on Thursday, September 17, at 11:00 am EST (Montreal time) to respond to journalists' questions about current issues. As it is traditionally the case at its September meeting, the Executive Committee will consider the 2010 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods (List) for approval. The Prohibited List is revised annually through a highly consultative process, beginning with the circulation of a draft List among more than 1,700 stakeholders. Comments received are considered by WADA's List Committee, who then presents its conclusions to WADA's Health, Medical and Research Committee. Read more http://bit.ly/wada_2010

South Africa's athletics coach Wilfred Daniels has quit his job over the shoddy and disgraceful handling of the sex verification saga of World 800m champion Caster Semenya before her gold medal win in Berlin. Daniels, who announced his resignation at the weekend, said the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) had noticed the teenager's phenomenal performance at the junior championships in Mauritius. He told private radio station Talk Radio 702 : "Before Caster left for Berlin, she was then asked to go to a clinic here in Pretoria to undergo some of these tests but the tests were not explained to her properly. "The normal urine or blood test - that is what she was told. According to the source that I spoke to, it was actually some sort of gender verification test that was done on her. "Caster was put in this unenviable position where she had to endure what she had to endure because we didn't brief her properly, we didn't explain to her...

The news this week that Nigeria's up and coming 400m hurdles prodigy, Amaka Ogoegbunam has tested positive for steroids came as a rude shock to me. Worse still, she's the third athlete in the Nigerian camp tainted with a drug episode in a matter of weeks. Vivian Chukwuemeka, 2002 Commonwealth Games Shot put gold medallist, and 100m runner Gloria Kemasuode has already been sent packing from the camp in Berlin for returning positive A samples at the Nigerian trias in Abuja last month. Similarly, Amaka was also reported to have tested positive for the same performance-enhancing anabolic steroid 'Metonolone' the others were busted for during the African junior championships in Bambous end of July. Another issue in camp in Berlin is that most of the athletes have not been paid their allowances, despite the fact that they have been short-changed by four days already. The athletes were supposed to be paid $100 each daily from the day they entered the Camp, but that was readj...

Powerfully built but beautifully relaxed in motion, the 18-year-old South African clocked one minute, 55,45 seconds for the year's fastest time and a personal best by more than a second. Kenyan world champion and Olympic silver medallist Janeth Jepkosgei was more than 15m adrift for second in 1:57,90. Fast-closing Jenny Meadows of Britain snatched third, three-hundredths of a second behind Jepkosgei in another personal best.

South Africa's world champion Caster Semenya produced the fifth fastest 800 metres time in history to win in grand sytle this evening - in a new world leading time of 1:55.45. But that's not the only story. The 18-year old middle distance sensation is at the centre of an inquiry over concerns raised about whether she is male or female. Most of these so-called concerns stem from Australia and Europeans. One BBC commentator in Berlin even had the audacity to claim on air that "the background of African athletes are always questionable", and then went on to ask the opinion of bronze medallist Jenny Meadows. Shame on him for saying that, but I know that we Africans would no longer sit back and take such ignorant smear any longer. Worse was said last year when Kenyan Pamela Jelimo came onto the scene. I heard many fellow journalists from Europe wondered why she looked so masculine. Back to the furore over this young lady. False reports from Australia, The Sydney Morning He...

Kenya's Ezekiel Kemboi, Richard Kipkemboi, and Bouabdellah Tahri the medallists in the steeplchase at the 2009 World Track and Field Championships in Berlin. Kemboi talks about the Kenyan steeplechase tradition and also explained why he took off his shirt for a Barcelona FC replica jersey.

African 400m record-holder, Gary Kikaya of Congo DRC in a chat with AthleticsAfrica speaks on the state of athletics on the continent, his home country, recent developments and his future plans in and out of the track. check this out. Video courtesy, YSMedia Ltd for AthleticsAfrica.com

Tyson Gay finally challenged Usain Bolt in the 100m and took second, Bolt broke his Olympic record to win at 9.58 seconds, Powell took third.

WOW! How fast can this guy go?

Linet Masai won the women's 10,000m at the 12th IAAF World Athletics Championships in Berlin

NIGERIA's former track and field chief coach, Armelia Ede t and two other Africans, Wilfried Daniel s of SOUTH AFRICA and Bisrat Gashawtena of ETHIOPIA were honoured by the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) with the IAAF Veteran Pin for long and meritorious service to the cause of world athletics during the 47th edition of the IAAF Congress at the Hotel Estrel, Berlin yesterday. Younes Chetali from TUNISIA also received the IAAF's Plaque of Merit given to six distinguished members [from each of the Area Associations] "of the global athletics family who have made enormous career long contributions to the success and the development of [the] sport" The IAAF Congress, the highest decision making body of the association, was attended by 198 of the IAAF’s 213 National Membership Federations and a total of 371 delegates were at the meeting which was presided over by IAAF President Lamine Diack. Some of the major decisions agreed on at the end of the con...

With the IAAF's qualification deadline of 3 August 2009 (midnight Monaco time) for the submission of final entries for relay teams, from the IAAF’s 213 Member Federations, fast approaching, Kenya and Nigeria relay teams head to Germany this weekend in last-ditch efforts to make the World Championships in Berlin. Kenya, once a force to reckon with in the men's 4X400m relay, with a silver medal (by the quartet of Kennedy Ochieng, Simon Kemboi, Abednego Matilu and Samson Kitur) at the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart, are struggling badly. A recent attempt at qualifying at the 4th CAA Super Grand Prix meet in Abuja , Nigeria two weeks ago ended when a collision with the Nigerian third leg at the final changeover left the Kenyan anchor leg with his right spike shoe off and unable to meet the 3:03.30 qualifying mark as the team ended third in 3:03.90. Kenyan sprint coach Stephen Mwaniki told me in Abuja they plan to take the 4X400m relay quartet (Anderson Mureta, Mark Mutai, ...

South Africa's Godfrey Khotso Mokoena, L.J. Van Zyl and Sudan's Abubakar Kaki were dominant African winners at today's Herculis Monaco IAAF Super Grand Prix meet . Khotso Mokoena continued his recent good form in Monaco with a comfortable win in the men's Long Jump with a leap of 8.28m. Senegal's Ndiss Kaba Badji (7.98m) was 5th. Mokoena told the media: "I feel great, it was nice and fun. This is my first time in Monaco, it's a great city. "It is a nice competition, I passed a few attempts, I am taking it easy because the World Championships are only 3 weeks away. All the guys are doing well, I am looking forward to more competitions, can't wait for Berlin." Uganda's Moses Ndiema Kipsiro won the men's 3000m in a personal best of 7:30.95. Kenyans Silas Kipruto (7:32.52) and Sammy Alex Mutahi (7:33.02) were second and third respectively. South African L.J. Van Zyl also took apart a strong men's 400m hurdles field that include Americ...

The World Youth Championships 2009 will be shown comprehensively live on TV. Rai Sport Più (accessible on Astra satellite) and Eurosport will report 14 hours live from Bressanone/Brixen and supplement it with delayed daily summaries. A total of 30 hours reporting on the WYC is planned. Competitions begin on Wednesday at 9:30 am. There are 40 medal events on the programme. According to the Italian athletics federation FIDAL Rai Sport Più has set the following TV Schedule:

Well, it has happened again! A Nigerian national team has once again been denied entry Visas to a major championships. So the report I'm hearing that the Nigeria’s 14-man team to the 6th World Youth Athletics Championships in Bressanone, Italy has ran into visa hitch with the Italian embassy in Lagos, two days to the start of the competition is hardly surprising. Now this championship, The World Youth Championships in Bressanone, Italy has been on the IAAF calendar all year, so why are the team members still in Nigeria two days to the Opening ceremony? South Africa and Kenya named their teams over three weeks ago and I'm sure visa issues, if any arose, would have been resolved early as the teams are all in Italy by now. The Italian Embassy refused to issue the team visas after the embassy officials rejected the supporting documents - even with the Federal Government of Nigeria official letter head - covering the athletes’ trip to Italy for the Championships, which starts on W...

A record number of 179 nations will compete in Bressanone/Brixen World Youth Championships - Sudtirol 2009. Athletes are coming from as far as 18,600 km and 13 hours time difference. Opening Ceremony on July 7th. This is also by far the largest number of participants for any sport event ever hosted in South Tyrol. Aruba, Cook Islands, Nauru, Kiribati, Comoros, Mariana Islands, Micronesia or Palau: never heard of them? The World Youth Championships "Südtirol 2009" taking place in Bressanone/Brixen from July 8th to 12th has the answer. Read More here Meanwhile, South Africa has selected 30 athletes for the championships, while Kenya picked 20 .

Nigeria women's 4x100m team has qualified for the relay event at the World Athletics Championships after dipping under the 43.90 seconds IAAF qualifying standard yesterday at the NAAA/Sagicor National Track and Field Open Championships at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Read more

Here at AthleticsAfrica.Com, We wish Khotso Mokoena all the best at the World Championships in Berlin...stay with us for all the coverage on the African teams from Berlin - August 2009

wow!

Ethiopian Meselech Melkamu has become only the fourth woman in history to break the 30-minute barrier for 10,000m, clocking 29:53.80 - second fastest of all-time mark - in Utrecht, the Netherlands on Sunday. For more, click here and see the video courtesy Flotrack/Bart Van Aalst

Men Zimbabwe's Florida State University sophomore Ngonidzashe Makusha defended his Long Jump title at the 2009 National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) outdoor track and field championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Makusha, who was the 26th and last wild card invitee in the event - his season's best jump being 7.73 metres, leapt to a modest, by his standards, 8.11 metres to win his second straight individual national championship. Stanley Gbagbeke of Middle Tennessee State settled for second with a best of 8.00 metres. Women University of Houston senior Seun Adigun finished third (13.20s) in the 100m Hurdles final at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships. UTEP's Blessing Okagbare finished fifth in the women's triple jump with a mark of 13.60m in the final day - her seventh USTFCCA All-American honour. And schoolmate and countrywoman Endurance Abinuwa clocked in a time of 52.81 in the women’s 400-metres dash final to finish ninth in the event.

Zimbabwean long jumper and Florida State University (FSU) sophomore Ngoni Makusha and fellow long jumper Brian Chibudu (who had the longest mark in the US coming into last week's regionals) have both failed to earn a berth into next week's NCAA national championship meet in Fayetteville, Ark. Since Makusha finished 12th at the East Regional in Greensboro, N.C., he was automatically entered into the at-large pool for the long jump — the top 12 for each region get entered. And since Makusha's season's best jump ended up being the sixth best in the nation for non-automatic qualifiers, FSU track coach Bob Braman assumed the Zimbabwe native had narrowly slipped into the NCAA meet. There are almost always 26 long jumpers invited (20 automatic qualifiers and six from the at-large pool) to the national championships. In 2009 however, there will be just 25 competing (20 qualifiers and five at-large berths). So the reigning national champion won't be able to defend his title....

European champion and Sweden’s big hope for the upcoming World Championship, Johan Wissman has put up a website www.johanwissman.com for his fans to follow his journey towards new successes and new medals. Johan Wissman says: "The website is an effective and enjoyable way of communicating with all my fans and I shall be updating it frequently with news, pictures, as well as You Tube clips. "I will also be conducting my own interviews at competitions and training campswith my fellow landsmen and rivals, and I certainly hope to be able to contribute with a scoop in the near future." Johan will have his first appearance on the international track-and-field scene for the outdoor season, this Saturday the 30th of May in Kalamata, Greece and will be facing numerous big competitions in the nearby future with the main target being theWorld Championship In Berlin where the set goal is to take a medal and finishing in the top three positions. The website will be introduced in Swed...

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has called on interested participants to register for the IAAF Fantasy Athletics: Season 2009 Game. The game started last year was very successful and this year the IAAF has increased the games offer to TWO and as always they are free to enter. IAAF Fantasy Athletics: Season 2009 . Registration OPEN NOW, first event 14 June IAAF Fantasy Athletics: World Championships Edition . Registration opens middle of July, event starts 15 August. The first event - the ÅF Golden League meeting in Berlin - takes place on 14 June, so don’t delay and enter your team now. According to the IAAF, the "Fantasy Athletics Season 2009 is an exciting online game which is free to enter and covers 12 events during the outdoor season culminating in the 2009 IAAF / VTB Bank World Athletics Final. This season there are thousands of dollars worth of prizes to win including a trip for two to a major IAAF competition. "The goal of Fan...

Last season, Nigerian born Spanish hurdler , Josephine Nkiruka Onyia was flying in the grand Prix circuit. From Oslo to Lausanne to Berlin she was the new kid on the block. She won the 100m hurdles in last year's Golden League meetings in Oslo and Berlin. Then, all of a sudden, news came out that the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) want the 22-year-old runner banned for two years for allegedly returning two positive tests in post-race doping controls last year. The Spanish Athletics Federation's disputed the test results and refused to punish her in both cases. They exonerated her after a positive test for an unnamed stimulant following an event in Lausanne on September 2 and for a banned anabolic agent - believed to be Clenbutero l - after winning the 100-metre hurdles at the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart , Germany, on September 13. Clenbuterol is regarded by the World Anti-Doping Agency as an anabolic agent. Its deliberate use carries a two...

More than 170 nations have registered interest to compete at the  6th IAAF World Youth Championships, Sϋdtirol, Italy  from the 8th-12th July, 2009, according to the  International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) . The 2009 World Youth Championships in Sϋdtirol is thereby on course to witness one of the greatest ever gatherings of nations in the competition's history. 173 of the IAAF's 213 Member Federations have submitted preliminary entries to compete in this biennial World Athletics Series competition, involving approximately 2000 athletes and officials. The championships which will take place in the town of Bressanone which is situated in the Italian Sϋdtirol are open to athletes aged 16 or 17 on 31 December 2009 (born in 1992 or 1993). For more, continue:

Olympic champions Pamela Jelimo, Wilfried Bungei, Christine Ohuruogu, and Gerd Kanter will be among the headliners of the Meeting Mohammed VI d' Athlétisme- CAA Super Grand Prix- in Rabat on Morocco on 23 May 2009, according to  Elshadai Negash for the IAAF The  Meeting Mohammed VI d' Athlétisme  is one of a select group of Area meetings at which points can be acquired by athletes to qualify for the  IAAF / VTB Bank World Athletics Final, to be held on 12-13 September in Thessaloniki, Greece. Last year’s meeting was highlighted by Olympic 5000m and 10,000m champion Kenenisa Bekele’s victory in the 5000m, and organisers have again unveiled a stellar field which includes ten Olympic medallists out of which four topped the podium over the course of nine days at the Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing last year. Kenya’s Pamela Jelimo, who enjoyed an unbelievable 2008 in her first season in international athletics at 800m, is expected to be the headliner of the event as she makes her 200...

Triple Olympic sprint champion sprinter Usain Bolt has escaped major injury and possibly death in a car accident in Jamaica whilst driving a BMW M3 when it reportedly veered off the rain-soaked road. Jamaica police sergeant David Sheriff said the 22-year-old and his female passenger were taken to hospital in Spanish Town but neither is seriously injured. He won gold in the men's 100m and 200m at the Beijing Olympic Games in world record times and also triumphed in the 4x100m relay with Jamaica. His manager, Norman Peart, said Bolt suffered nothing worse than scratches from thorn bushes when he got out of the vehicle as it rested in the bush. Gebremariam stunner Meanwhile in Ethiopia, Africa, an outstanding finishing by the reigning World Cross Country champion Gebregziabher Gebremariam highlights of the first day’s action at the 38th Ethiopian Athletics Championships (29 April- 3 May 2009) at the Addis Ababa stadium yesterday. The Ethiopian World championships trials continu...

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has confirmed that "it has been advised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that three athletes have returned positive tests to the new form of EPO named MIRCERA following re-analysis of samples taken by the IOC in Beijing. "The IAAF understands that the relevant National Olympic Committees have been notified. "The cases are currently confidential, and the IAAF is bound by its Rules and unable to confirm the names or nationalities of any athletes involved or comment further at this stage. "The usual results management procedures for samples taken during the period of the Olympic Games will now apply including the option for all athletes to have their B samples tested. "The IAAF must wait for further details from the IOC before considering any provisional suspension of the athletes and a decision is not expected within the next week. "Just as the IAAF has already re-analysed its own sam...

Ethiopia's Olympic bronze medallist Tsegaye Kebede hope to bring the African country its second major marathon victory in a week (his compatriot Deriba Merga’s won the Boston Marathon on Monday ) when he takes on one of the best marathon fields ever assembled in the Flora London Marathon this Sunday. However , he still has the likes of reigning champion Martin Lel, Olympic gold and silver medallists Sammy Wanjiru and Jaouad Gharib, and Abderrahim Goumri to contend with in the British capital. Kebebe recently won 25,000 U.S dollars after he placed second (1. 08.52 seconds) at the 2009 Glo Half Marathon in Lagos, a race won by Kenya's Luke Kibet. Also two-time Olympic 10,000m champion Olympic Champion, Kenenisa Bekele will make his come back on the track on June 1 and will race the 1500 metres at Fanny Blankers-Koen (FBK) Games in Hengelo. Bekele’s manager Jos Hermens told the IAAF: "Kenenisa is training well but the problems cost him two months of training. Hengelo will ...

IAAF’s Member Federations will celebrate the IAAF World Athletics Day in the weekend of Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 May, 2009, according to the IAAF.org The annual global Athletics calendar, remains as popular as ever, with 160 of the 213 IAAF Member Federations requesting to participate in 2009. This year’s project involves Youth Age Group children from Clubs who were born in 1992-1993 (16-17 years old). For the fourth year in accordance with the goal of the IAAF Athletics’ World Plan to make Athletics the number one sport in schools, the World Athletics Day is also being organised in close cooperation with the relevant national ministry which is in charge of School Sport in each country. READ MORE Are you planning an event to mark this day in your local athletics club or in your national federation? What are the things you have in mind to engage the youth in athletics endeavour in your region across the continent? Post your comments below or email the editors (contactus at athletic...

Ethiopian sweetheart Tirunesh Dibaba has joined other 2008 Olympic champions Jamaican Usain Bolt and Russian Yelena Isinbayeva as the three athletes among the finalists for the 2009 Laureus World Sport Award. Dibaba was the first woman to claim the 5000m and 10,000m double at the same Olympic Games when she dominated in Beijing last summer. UTEP's Blessing Okagbare for the second time was named the Conference USA Co-Athlete of the Week . The 2008 Olympic Long Jump Bronze medallist from Nigeria beat out distinguished professionals such as Alice Falaiye, Ola Sesay and Tori Polk in the women's Long Jump at the 2009 UTEP Invitational soaring to a world season lead and NCAA regional qualifying mark of 6.86 metres .

University of Texas, El Paso (UTEP) Junior and five-time All-American Blessing Okagbare has been named the Conference USA Outdoor Track and Field Athlete of the Week. At the 82nd Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, Okagbare - who is the Olympic bronze medalis t, posted the second-best performance in the US in the women's triple jump with a mark of 13.52m, which also ranks as Conference-USA's Top Performance for the 2009 season and is a NCAA regional qualifying mark. She was also part of the women's 4X400m relay quartet made up of Gladys Nwaubani, Endurance Abinuwa, Shalaiyah Sommerville that posted the first regional mark on the track with a time of 45.05 seconds.

Green Africa Foundation, an initiative which was supported by the IAAF as part of its sustainable development initiatives, wins the IOC award for Sport and the Environment at the World Conference on Sport and Environment in Vancouver, Canada. Also, South Africa's juniors qualifies for the 6th IAAF World Youth Championships in Südtirol , Italy from 8-12 July and the Africa Junior Championships in Bata Equatorial Guinea from 2-5 July Young stars Annemie Smith (Hammer Throw) and Willem le Roux (Decathlon) set national records, as sprinter Tshegofatso Meshoe sparkled at the South Africa Youth, Junior and Under-23 Championships in Tshwane.

Florence Kiplagat did what many undoubtedly felt like doing when she won the senior women’s race at the 37th IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Amman, Jordan, she fainted. After one of the most thrilling finishes in the history of the championships, Ethiopia’s Gebre Gebremariam took the Senior Men’s 12km title at Bisharat Golf Club... marking a stunning comeback for the 24-year-old father-of-two whose string of World Cross individual medals from 2002 to 2004 had been followed by four fallow years. More here

The Lagos state government, through the Committee for the Resuscitation of Athletics in Lagos, has reveal plans to restore the state to its former athletic glory. Speaking at the launch of the Sydney Bialosa Asiodu Athletics Foundation at the Metropolitan Club, Kofo Abayomi Street in Victoria Island today, Lagos State governor, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola said government cannot develop sport alone, but ‘the legitimacy of government, the statue and goodwill of government can attract sponsors and support to get it right'. Read More

Zimbabwean Sharon Tavenga (2:47:18)) has emerge the winner of the women's race at the Nedbank Johannesburg City Marathon beating defending champion Samukeliso Moyo (2:50:03) and South Africa Catherine Skosana (2:56.59) to second and third positions respectively. Lesotho’s Nathaniel Lebopo won the men's race in a lifetime best of 2:18:32, with compatriot Lebenya Nkoka (2:18:45) in second place and Ugandan Daniel Kiprop Chepyegun (2:18:56) third. Earlier on South Africa Hendrick Ramaala (29:51) and Lesotho’s Mamarolla Tjoka (35:20) won the men’s and women’s 10km respectively. More here Kenyan Benjamin Mutai clocked a course record of 2:11:01 at the 12th Marathon de Monaco et des Riviera on Sunday. Mutai’s run eclipsed the previous record of 2:11:26 set by another Kenyan, Kenneth Cheruiyot, in 1999. Belaynesh Bekele of Ethiopia won the women’s race in 2:48:48. More here

Kenya's Benjamin Kiptoo and Ethiopian Firehiwot Dado were the surprise winners of the Acea Electrabel Maratona di Roma on Sunday. Kiptoo, winner of two marathon races in Brescia and Beijing in 2008, went on to smash the Italian all-comers’ record clocking 2:07:17, despite starting as a pacemaker. Dado, who entered the Rome Marathon race with a 2:37:34 PB set in Kosice in 2008, produced a major surprise taking the win in the women’s race, smashing her lifetime best to 2:27:08. Kenyan Martin Lel wins the EDP Lisbon Half Marathon - an IAAF Gold Label Road Race - crossing the line under one hour by four seconds in 59:56. Lel, a three-time winner at the London Marathon and twice in New York, got his third marathon victory after triumphs in 2003 and 2006, three wins, each three years apart. Moroccan Jaouad Gharib was second (59.59), after his third place last year, with Kel's compatriot Robert Cheruyiot fourth in 1:00.05. .

Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie has confirmed his bid to race at the second BUPA Great Manchester Run title on 17 May. The BUPA Great Manchester Run , an IAAF Gold Label Road Race , is one of the world's leading 10 kilometres road races which attracts 33,000 entrants last year. Gebrselassie, 35, who ran the fastest time ever on British roads (27:25) on his Manchester debut in 2005 is arguably the world's greatest-ever distance runner having set a remarkable total of 26 World records/bests in his career. More on www.athleticsafrica.com

Meseret Defar capped her short but sterling indoor campaign with a 9:06.26** World best to highlight a thoroughly entertaining inaugural edition of the aptly named Meeting of World Record Holders meet in the Czech capital on Thursday. “My goal was to get three world records this season,” said Defar, who eight days ago broke the world indoor mark in the 5000m with a 14:24.37 run in Stockholm. “I only missed one, so that’s not bad.” Read more on Defar's 9:06.26 run in Prague .

Kenya‘s Luke Kibet and the Netherlands‘ Lornah Kiplagat won the men‘s and women‘s races respectively at the Glo Lagos International Half Marathon on Saturday. Kibet beat a strong men‘s field with a time of one hour seven minutes and 49 seconds, while Kiplagat also eased to victory in 1.16:23.

UTEP Freshman sprinter Endurance Abinuwa has been named Conference USA Female Athlete of the Week the league announced Tuesday. Abinuwa recorded C-USA bests in two events at the Texas A&M Invitational this last weekend. The Nigeria native ran a NCAA provisional and personal-best time of 53.70 in the 400-meter dash. She also anchored the Miners’ 4x400-meter relay team to a 3:43.03 time. The time is also a C-USA best this season. The honor is Abinuwa’s first and the first honor for a Miner in 2009.

World marathon record holder, Haile Gebreselassie of Ethiopia, is to make a star appearance at this year’s Glo Lagos International Half Marathon coming up on February 21, 2009. While in the country, the fastest long distance runner will pair up with three- time world Half Marathon record holder, Lornah Kiplagat of Netherlands to hold an educative and inspirational clinic for young upcoming athletes on the eve of the half Marathon in Lagos. The Ethiopian will also spare time to interact with the press on arrival at the airport. The duo of Gebreselassie and Kiplagat will lead an array of 44 international road runners to the Glo Lagos half marathon. Two former Lagos Half marathon Champions : Millicent Boadi of Ghana who won the Lagos International Half Marathon in 2005 and Dieudonne Disi from Rwanda who won the first Glo Lagos Half Marathon in 2007 have equally confirmed their participation in this year’s Lagos road race.

Obikwelu meets NEXT Sport

Olusoji Fasuba speaking during a training session to NEXT - A new Nigerian news website @ http://www.234next.com